


He's All That

by Still_beating_heart



Category: Veronica Mars - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - She's All That (1999) Fusion, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-16
Updated: 2020-08-16
Packaged: 2021-03-05 03:42:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 6,531
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25427854
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Still_beating_heart/pseuds/Still_beating_heart
Summary: It's a She's All That fusion, only Veronica is Zack and Logan is Laney!(I think this is okay for a teen and up rating, but correct me if I'm wrong)----------“Oh my god Ronnie, I can’t believe he dumped you right before prom,” Lilly flips her hair over her shoulder, and pretends to be sympathetic, setting her hand briefly on top of Veronica’s on the lunch table. But Veronica’s not stupid, she knows Lilly is only doing it for show. Since her hand is gone as soon as Parker walks past them with her signature look like she smells something foul all times of day, especially when she walks past Veronica.Lilly is back to filing her nails and probably adding up the calories in her lunch to see how many extra two-pound dumbbell curls she’ll have to do at practice later.“It’s no big deal, really,” she only says it because her pride gets in the way, “I could make any boy prom king. I don’t need Duncan to lock myself in as queen.”Lilly only takes a beat to dare her, “you wanna bet?”Pride is a vicious thing.-----------
Relationships: Logan Echolls & Veronica Mars, Logan Echolls/Veronica Mars
Comments: 29
Kudos: 32





	1. He Is Not All That

**Author's Note:**

  * For [whiskeytangocharley](https://archiveofourown.org/users/whiskeytangocharley/gifts).



> So first, I want to apologize for not putting any effort into getting a legit narrative for either character that is true to their canon selves. But since this is a fluffy little AU/fusion, I think you can forgive me. 
> 
> The depth of writing is so not there, and I also apologize for that, but we both know fluff is not my thing :)
> 
> Happy (early) Birthday buddy, I hope you enjoy!!!

He Is Not All That

It only started as a bet. A stupid bet. Made out of some stupid attempt to uphold her reputation. Now, watching him making art, or whatever that excuse for art is supposed to be, with a paint smear on his cheek and his baggy pants stained and ripped; Veronica is starting to think she’s in over her head.

——— One Week Ago ———

“Oh my god Ronnie, I can’t believe he dumped you right before prom,” Lilly flips her hair over her shoulder, and pretends to be sympathetic, setting her hand briefly on top of Veronica’s on the lunch table. But Veronica’s not stupid, she knows Lilly is only doing it for show. Since her hand is gone as soon as Parker walks past them with her signature look like she smells something foul all times of day, especially when she walks past Veronica.

Lilly is back to filing her nails and probably adding up the calories in her lunch to see how many extra two-pound dumbbell curls she’ll have to do at practice later.

“It’s no big deal, really,” she only says it because her pride gets in the way, “I could make any boy prom king. I don’t need Duncan to lock myself in as queen.”

Lilly only takes a beat to dare her, “you wanna bet?”

Pride is a vicious thing.

——— Present Day ———

She made it past the worst part. Asking him out. Without him thinking it was just some joke. Why would the most popular girl (or maybe the second or third most popular girl) in all of Neptune be asking Logan Echolls to prom? So she had to start slow, make him think she was interested in the things he was interested in. Which, as far as she can tell, is just art. Poorly painted renditions of the beach or something. 

“The beach,” she blurts out, watching over his shoulder, “we should go to the beach.”

Logan sets his paintbrush down, pushes his glasses up higher on his nose and squints at her anyway, “we?”

“Yes,” she leans forward, trying to get his attention to land on her cleavage, not that she really has much, but hey boobs are boobs and he’s a teen boy. At least she thinks he’s a teen boy under all those nerdy accessories, “you and me. We,” running the handle side of her own paintbrush over her lips. She asked him for a private lesson, thinking it would get him out of school, and more into himself and she’d be able to read his personality more. But all she can read so far is everything she could read in school. Which is: nerd. 

“I don’t really swim,” he tells her, reaching for his paintbrush again and getting back to work, explaining the colors he’s mixing as he’s mixing them.

“Why not?”

“I just,” he sighs, it’s very put-upon, “it’s nothing.”

“Okay, well there’s plenty of other things to do at the beach that don’t include swimming.”

“Like what?”

“There’s beach volleyball. There’s sunbathing. There’s skipping rocks.”

“I’m not exactly an athlete.”

“You don’t need to be to skip rocks,” she puts on her best flirty smile but so far he hasn’t responded even slightly to all the signs she’s been giving.

He rolls his eyes, “let’s just finish the lesson and you can get back to your perfect life.”

She wants to line him out, let him know that appearances aren’t everything. That on the surface her life is great. She’s got amazing friends, popularity, she’s not hard to look at. She’s the co-captain of the cheer squad. But that’s not the whole picture. It rarely is, is it? Before she opens her mouth, her eyes scan over Logan. Wondering how his appearance might not be the real picture, it can’t be. Not if she believes her own rule, that appearance isn’t everything, it’s important of course, but it’s not everything.

“I’ll pick you you at noon then,” she winks at him, “tomorrow. Be ready with swim trunks and a wrist limbered up for skipping rocks.”


	2. She Is All That

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Logan's a little feminized, but since he's playing the role of Laney, I suppose it was kind of unavoidable.

She Is All That

Logan knows which rung on the social ladder he currently occupies. He’s not blind. Even if people have called him Four Eyes and all your stereotypical names for people with glasses his entire life. So he doesn’t exactly trust that Veronica Mars wants to be his friend. He’s not sure what her goal is with this art lesson thing, but she’s been pretty persistent. 

He knows, just like everyone else in the entire school, that Duncan dumped her for reality star Kendall Casablancas who is easy on the eyes, but she’s a terrible person. A terrible person with money. And money means everything in a place like Neptune.

Money. Something Logan used to have. And probably never will have again. He doesn’t desire it. The old adage is true, money can’t buy everything. Including happiness. He’s seen what it’s done in his life. His father has stacks of cash. But it didn’t make him a good father by any means. He took off with his mistress, leaving them behind with next to nothing for his mother to raise him and his sister on. All thanks to the fancy lawyer that he could afford, and the lack of prenup, and his mansion in a country that doesn’t extradite. So Logan’s mother works two jobs to keep the roof over their heads and doesn’t bother sitting around waiting for child support that’ll never come. One of which, is cleaning pools for all the rich assholes who live just down the street. Up on higher ground where rich people usually live. So they can look down upon the middle and lower class. 

There’s no pride in being treated like shit by people who have never valued human life over a dollar. But there’s food on the table most nights. And that’s more than a lot of people have. So he can count himself lucky. Even if he’s been working since he was legally able to, to pitch in what he can, and he’ll only be able to attend art school if he gets scholarships, maintains his grades and spends all his free time working to foot the bill for the remainder. 

He doesn’t expect to be handed anything in life. And maybe that makes him more prepared for the real world than it does his fellow classmates, but it also makes him an outcast. 

An outcast who is currently wondering, “what is Veronica Mars doing sitting on my front porch talking to my sister?”

“I think she’s sitting on your front porch talking to your sister,” his mom retorts from her recliner where she’s watching Jeopardy on her day off. The first day she’s had off in a month.

“Thanks for the astute observation,” mumbling at her on his way out the door, “Trina,” hissing at his younger sister. The traitor that she is, she’s sitting right next to Veronica, for god knows how long now. Chatting it up like old friends.

“Oh Logan, finally. I told you noon,” Veronica smiles as she gets to her feet. Smoothing out her name brand clothing. She’s at least not acting like the dirt off the porch in a poor neighborhood is going to tarnish her reputation.

“Noon? For what?”

“Did you forget already silly? The beach, remember?” she flicks her hair in what he’s sure is a move to draw his attention to her neck or something.

“The beach?”

“Yeah, skipping rocks ring a bell?”

“I have stuff to do today.”

“Like what?”

“Like clean the house. Cook dinner.”

“Isn’t that what,” she cuts herself off when she looks around, remembering where she is, and that there aren’t maids in this neighborhood, “well, how long could it possibly take to clean a house?” she’s shoving past him into the place before he can stop her, “hello, you must be Ms Echolls,” her hand is out in front of her like she’s going to lance her instead of shake her hand, “I’m Veronica Mars.”

“Please call me Lynn,” Mom has an amused expression on her face.

“Well,” she eyes the room, “nice place you have here. Now where’s the cleaning supplies?”

Mom, probably having heard every word that was spoken outside, just points and shrugs, “while you’re at it, grab me a beer.”

Veronica darts out of the room, there’s no hesitation to do as she’s told, which has Logan wondering if she’s not as rich and uptight as he thought she was. Mom barely has time to wipe the smirk off her face before she’s back, this time bearing an open beer.


	3. Maybe He Is All That

Maybe He Is All That

Veronica really doesn’t have any idea if she’s cleaning properly. If it’s up to their standards. She’s never really had to do it for herself, always relying on her mother or her housekeeper to clean up after her. But she’s also never been a complete idiot who can’t figure out how to sweep and run a vacuum. 

What she can’t figure out, is how to cook. It’s like listening to someone speak a foreign language while she watches Logan move around the kitchen. He’s smooth and everything smells amazing. She’s not sure what he’s making, but he said he could prepare it now and put it in the fridge for later, he’s just have to be home by five to get it in the oven on time. 

Which is fine with Veronica, she knows that her friends will most likely be down on the beach in the evening and she doesn’t really want to risk bumping in to them while she’s with Logan. Lilly is the only one who knows about the bet, and she’d prefer it stay that way, also that no one see her outside of school with the school’s biggest nerd before she can transform him into the beautiful swan that she knows is under the poor choice of attire somewhere. 

——————

Logan tried to talk Trina into coming along with them, to act a buffer Veronica is sure, but she refused. The kid isn’t so bad, she’s actually pretty smart and funny. Maybe Veronica would have preferred if she’d come along, since Logan is clearly still uncomfortable around her. Maybe it would have helped him open up a bit.

She finds a spot free of people and close to the best spot to find flat rocks for skipping. Watching as Logan lowers himself into the sand, digging his toes in, but leaving his clothing on. Veronica sighs, peeling off her layers and sunscreening up, “it’s call sunbathing because you bathe yourself in sun Logan.”

“It’s called skin cancer because it kills you.”

“Oh my god, loosen up a little. One beach day once in your life isn’t going to kill you,” she twirls the sunscreen like it’s a sidearm in a cheesy Western, “that’s what this little weapon against burns is for.”

His eyes narrow suspiciously but he seems to have lost the argument, standing to remove his shirt. And, oh, wow. There certainly is a beautiful swan under all that awkward baggy clothing. Wow, “I’ve got your back,” she winks, peeling her eyes away from all the bare flesh and muscle he just revealed to her. Purposely squeezing more out of the tube than she needs for just his back, she rubs it down the length of his arms, taking the opportunity to feel the rock hard lines of his biceps, “um, cheeks?” she wonders when she reaches his wrists and still has extra. She won’t touch his chest or stomach without at least asking first, and there are only so many boundaries a person can pass without looking like a total skeez for the sake of sunscreen. 

He scoffs, removes his glasses and his eyes land on hers, steeling her breath before she can process what she’s saying, “wow your eyes are…”

“Really beautiful. I know,” he rolls them, “dark and deep like a mud puddle.”

“That was so not what I was going to say. A mud puddle? Really? That’s all you can come up with for brown eyes?” her fingers smear white sunscreen across his cheeks, feeling small amounts of stubble beneath her fingertips.

“Um, dog shit brown?”

“What? Maybe like toffee or chocolate or…”

“You want to eat my eyes?”

“No, but toffee and chocolate are delicious.”

“I fail to see how that’s a compliment.”

“Because things like chocolate are a comfort food. And looking into your eyes is comforting,” she tries but can’t even convince herself.

“It’s totally comforting to look into the eyes of someone you barely know while you rub sunscreen on them during a forced outing to the beach.”

“Ohhh, ouch. It’s not like I really forced you to come. I didn’t exactly pick you up and place you in my car.”

“No, I guess not, but you made it seem like you were only doing me the favor of helping me finish my chores so I’d come with you.”

“Well, maybe I just want to get to know you. Maybe I think there’s more to you than…”

“A nerdy guy with glasses and a dream of art school.”

“Yeah,” she shrugs.

“Why?”

“I don’t know,” she drops her hands off his body, immediately feeling the loss of contact, “maybe I realized we only have a few more weeks of school left, and maybe…”

“You wanted to make a charity friend before it was all over,” he accuses, arms rising to cross over his chest.

“No! That’s not what this is. I just, I don’t know, maybe I don’t know. But what is it hurting? To try out something like a friendship?”

“I guess…”

“Veronica Mars!” comes trailing over the waves and breeze, falling around her ears and making her cringe but she forces a smile. 

Whatever ground she was making with Logan is now crushed, “Lilly!” she calls back anyway, waving at her and the entire group of friends. Logan’s tension might as well reach out and take hold of her shoulders with in an icy cold grip. Mentioning to him, “we can leave,” nonchalantly, “if you want.”

“It’s fine,” snapping at her. Awkwardness rolling off him.

———————

“Who knew under all that nerdiness was a hottie with a body?” Lilly smirks towards Logan when there’s a break in the volleyball game. Keeping her voice low enough so only Veronica and Parker can hear her. 

“Oh my god, right? It’s really a shame he wears such hideous clothes,” Parker agrees.

Veronica has a sudden urge to stand up for him, tell them not everyone can afford AE and Abercrombie much less Louis Viutton. But looking at their bathing suits, hair jobs, nail jobs, and beach jewelry which all together probably costs more than a semester of tuition at a state college? Veronica knows when to pick her battles. Instead she smiles, a big fake cheer squad smile and plays along with it. Even if she’s starting to see there’s more to Logan than she originally thought, that doesn’t mean her friends will see it. Or understand it if by some chance they looked past the ends of their noses.


	4. Maybe She's More Than Just That

Maybe She’s More Than Just That

By the time Veronica parks at the curb in front of the Echolls residence, Logan feels strangely at ease with her. Maybe it was the day on the beach. Maybe it was the way she kept checking in on him to make sure he was comfortable with her friends. People that he would never be allowed to be seen with in school, or on school grounds. But people that weren’t really that bad to spend time with. Dick might be kind of a tool, but he’s pretty damn fun to be around. 

He sighs when he undoes his seatbelt, pushing the door open and, “thanks for…”

But she’s out of her side already and bounding up the stairs of the porch before he can even unfold himself to get out of the low to the ground expensive car. 

“I told Trina I’d bring her back a shell,” she explains as she tugs the door open without asking.

“Sure. Make yourself at home,” mumbling towards the sidewalk between him and her. 

———————

He’s putting freshly laundered sheets on his bed when his mom taps on the doorframe. She leans against it with a soft smile on her face reserved only for mother-son chats.

“Out with it,” he grumbles at her, tugging the last corner of the fitted sheet down tight.

She takes it as an invitation to come in his room, helping him snap out the top sheet, tuck in the corners and smooth it out on the bed, “I know I rely on you for a lot of things, things that a teenager shouldn’t need to be relied on for. And I’m…”

“I know,” he cuts her off, flipping his quilt off the floor to spread out on the bed, “you’re grateful for it, and blah blah blah. Mom, we’re family. You can’t take care of all three of us on your own. I don’t resent you for it.”

She’s wearing an amused smile when he lifts his eyes to meet hers, “what I was going to say,” sliding her hand over the quilt, her focus catching on the square that used to be his baby blanket, “I like Veronica. And you seem more relaxed around her. You seem like maybe you’re allowing yourself to be a teenager, like a real teenager,” she winks at him when her eyes rise, “so,” she shrugs, “it’s okay to loosen up sometimes Logan. And even though I rely on you for a lot, I still want you to be happy. I want you to know that it’s okay to have some fun,” with that, she turns to head back out of his room, “good night kiddo,” pulling his door shut on the way out, not giving him a chance to reply.

———————

Lying on his back, staring at the ceiling, willing sleep to come. But it won’t. He keeps thinking about her. Her and why she’s suddenly so interested in getting to know him. In fitting herself in his life. After they’ve gone to school together for their entire lives and she never paid him any mind before. He’s not sure if he should be honored, or disgusted by her sudden presence. She’s not a bad person, but a lot of her friends are so shallow. She’s not dumb, she pulls good grades and rumor has it she just got accepted to Harvard. Which is no small feat. 

What she ever saw in Duncan is beyond him. He still hates Duncan for how mean he was all the way back in first grade. And it’s not like he ever got any nicer, he just got a bigger chip on his shoulder as he got older and managed to grow into some athletic talent. Now he’s got a reality star on his arm and his mug in gossip mags. 

A few more weeks and Logan will never have to see these people again. That’s what he keeps telling himself. He’s going to art school. An entire school built for high school outcasts. Surely he won’t be the outcast in a school full of people with their heads in the clouds. Just the thought of being somewhere that he fits in makes him sigh, letting the confusion he’s feeling for Veronica slip away while he slides into a deep dreamless sleep.

———————

Mac is waiting at his locker in the morning. She’s smiling that loaded smile at him and calling him out for, “hanging out with Queen Veronica? Tell me you had the whole crew of cheerleaders flocking around you, taking turns lotioning and oiling your back.”

He rolls his eyes at her, quickly turns the combo to his lock and bites his tongue when none other than Veronica Mars steps up beside him, “whatcha doin’ after school today?” she flaps her eyelashes at him.

“Um, I have work.”

“Work?” she sounds more like someone slapped her than answered her question, looking over at Mac to flash her a smile, “Mac, how’s the soccer team doing this year? I hear you guys have a good chance of making States.”

Mac looks mildly shocked that someone with the social status of Veronica Mars would know the first thing about her, she shakes it off quickly, recovering with the recap of the last game. One that Logan has heard about a million times and it was just two days ago that they played. 

He trails behind them down the hall, thinking how strange it is that Veronica is insinuating herself into his life. Not just with his sister but also his best friend since kindergarten, “is this some kind of dork outreach program?” he finally wonders, interrupting their conversation.

“A what now?” when her full attention is on him, it makes him want to melt into the hallway tiles and flood through the door out into the courtyard.

“What the hell do you even want with me? I’m not smart enough to tutor you, I don’t have any skills that could be important for you to learn before you go off to Harvard in the fall. What is this about? And I know it’s not about art.”

The easy smile that was on her face a moment ago, falls quickly while she eyes him, “what is so wrong with wanting to make new friends? Why do you keep trying to make me feel bad about wanting to hang out with you? Acting like I’m using you?”

“I just,” now he takes a step back, his eyes darting over to Mac for some back-up. She only shrugs, leaving him flapping in the wind, “why now? Why now when all we have left of this shithole is a few more weeks? A few more weeks until we can walk the hell out those doors and never come back. Why do I suddenly exist now?”

“I don’t know,” her eyes are darting back and forth from his eyes to his lips, “maybe I’m just interested in you. You ever think about that?”

“No, I…”

“Hey, I have tickets to the art show tonight,” Mac butts in, “Logan’s shift ends at 7:00, the show is at 7:30. You guys could walk. It’s a nice night,” she shoves her tickets into the front pocket of Logan’s overalls, smeared with paint that’s mostly dry. And then she’s gone. And the minute warning bell is ringing.

“I’ll see you at 7 sharp,” Veronica is walking backwards, waving at him, “where do you work?”

“Taco Bob’s,” he answers begrudgingly, hoping against all hope that she’ll not show up.

————————

It’s 6:57 when she’s walking in the front door of the restaurant. Logan takes a moment to steal himself, instead of lashing out at her, like he wants to do, for whatever this charade is that she’s keeping up. 

————————

“So, tell me about yourself Logan Echolls,” she nudges him with her elbow on the walk to the club.

“What about me?”

“Anything. Everything,” her eyes are on him, attention undivided and he finds it hard to squash the butterflies that have begun to flap in his stomach.

————————

He expects her to laugh, or roll her eyes, or mock the artists on stage. He expects her to crack jokes like a normal high school student would when watching this kind of show. But she doesn’t. When he looks over at her midway through the presentation, she’s wearing a look of wonder on her face.

————————

“Okay, you’re going to have to teach me more,” she tells him on the way out of the club, “I want to learn more about art, everything you know. I want to paint, and I want to fire clay, and I want to do that,” she jerks her thumb towards the club behind them, “art in motion. Oh my gosh, I’m so glad we went. I’m going to have to thank Mac for these tickets. What does she like? What can I give her in exchange for this?”

“She likes Wallace,” he responds without thinking. Trying to swallow down a blush before she can look over at him, or scoff a response.

“Hmm, I can work with that,” her hand brushes against his when it swings by, he briefly considers taking it. Entwining fingers with hers, feeling the warmth of her touch, and wondering what she’d do. If she’d shake him off, or if she’d hold. 

————————

“A little birdie told me Wallace doesn’t have a prom date yet,” Veronica announces as she slides into the seat at their lunch table. 

“What does that have to do with us?” Mac wonders, trying to keep her cool, it might be convincing to someone who barely knows her, like Veronica, but Logan can see right through it.

“Well, I suppose it doesn’t have anything to do with you. Unless, of course, you’d be interested in going with him. You know, if you can hook me up with a friend of yours, then I’ll hook you up with a friend of mine. For prom,” she winks at Mac.

“The only friend I have is,” she shifts in her seat, “oh. Oh. Yeah, maybe we can work something out.”

“I’m really not liking where this is going,” Logan admits, gaining him the full attention of both women.

“Oh come on,” Mac tugs on his arm, “it’s just a few hours on a Saturday night. Everyone will be there…”

“Everyone will be there,” he repeats.

“Oh please, it’s just high school Logan. Like you keep saying, we’ll never have to see these people ever again after we walk out of here in a couple weeks. We’ve got nothing left to do but, I don’t know, maybe enjoy some of them? At our senior prom. It’s so cliche, I know, but think about it. For me?”

“And for me,” Veronica adds, propping her chin on her hand.

“But you’re up for prom queen. And if I’m understanding this conversation right then…”

“Yes, I’m asking you to ask me to prom,” Veronica finishes for him, “or better yet, Logan Echolls will you go to prom with me? Or would you prefer some fancy ask with signs lining the walkway to your house and me driving by dragging cans or…”

“Sure,” he swallows a blush, “I mean sure to prom, not to the ask. If you do that, I definitely won’t go with you,” he doesn’t bother adding that he’s only agreeing so that Mac can have her dream date with Wallace. Maybe he’s prostituting himself for his best friend to get what she’s wanted for four years, but maybe it’s only prostituting himself if there’s sex involved and that’s not going to be the case. Of that he is certain.


	5. He's So Much More Than Just That

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This kind of went sideways into a Ten Things I Hate About You fusion too...

He’s So Much More Than Just That

It looks like this is actually going to work out. Logan has some votes, he’s got some posters up and people are actually stopping by his locker during the day to get to know him a little. The nerds have all united to bring his face to the front of everyone’s mind, using their combined nerd power art skills and mixed media to remind everyone in the entire high school at every opportunity to vote for Logan Echolls for prom king. Not like it’s an actual political post, but they’re treating it that way. And maybe it would say something to social status in high school if he did actually win, and of course it would say a lot for Veronica’s pride if he won. 

She wonders if maybe she should tell him. Let him know how all this started. How now that she’s gotten to know him, she’s truly in awe of him. He’s smart, and witty. He’s actually really funny without trying to be, and she’s had a blast spending time with him. He’s so refreshing to be around after having been so used to being what everyone has always expected of her. With him, it’s different. She can just be Veronica Mars. Not cheer squad co-captain or valedictorian or yearbook editor. She doesn’t have to be accepted to Harvard or be the daughter that her father expects to follow in his footsteps. 

Her breath catches when she sees him in his tux. It’s classic, and as hot as he looks in just swim trunks, this dressing up thing takes it to a whole new level, “you clean up nice,” she tells him, curtseying while holding out the boutonnière like a dowry. 

“Not so bad yourself,” he agrees, taking the pin and exchanging it for a matching corsage. 

“Well, you kids have fun,” his mom starts with a grin.

“Yeah,” Logan is quick to grab Veronica’s hand and hustle her out the front door, no doubt to avoid any ‘talk’ that’s about to happen with his mother. 

———————

She always thought things like prom would be a going-through-the-motions kind of thing. Just something to remember through photos, glossed over, dressed up versions of high school. She never thought she’d actually walk into prom and it would feel like a dream. Logan’s hand in hers is reassuring while it makes sparks tingle up her wrists and flicker through her stomach. Looking over her shoulder at him, she wonders what comes next. What will the future hold? When his eyes meet hers through the lights of the gym, she just doesn’t care. She doesn’t care what the future holds, the only thing she cares about is right now. Right here, right in front of her, “wanna dance?” she grins at him. 

He returns the expression, admitting a little shyly, “I’m not good at it.”

“No one is,” she shrugs, turning in front of him to take both his hands and drag him out with her to the dance floor.

He’s hesitant at first to do anything more than just stand there and sway a little, but the longer she bobs and dances and makes a fool of herself right next to him, the more he seems to get into it. Finally letting go and allowing his body to feel the beat, to relax and have fun, damn what anyone else sees when they look at the two of them together. The only part that matters is the smile, the one that rises every time he looks at her. 

It’s when it all slows down, when the music glides into slow dances, and the floor mostly quiets, when she can feel Logan’s ribs expanding against her with every breath he takes, and the moment strikes her as it’s unwinding. That she never told him, she never told him the truth. After these last few weeks of getting to know each other in ways she’s not known anyone in a long time, maybe not ever, in ways that strip all the barriers of reputation and social status, getting to know a person who is just a person under all the tiers of the popularity contest that is high school. Her mouth opens, just to tell him, to warn him, that this all started as something stupid and vapid, but it’s turned into so much more. Maybe the beginning was all a lie, but everything since that very first day has been something special. 

As she opens her mouth to come clean, the voice on the mic announces it’s time for the special moment, for the big titles to be handed out. Veronica bites down on the butterflies in her stomach, hearing Lilly and Dick making their way over. They’ll all have to get up on stage now, and wait for the crowns. They’ll either have to smile and accept the title, or stand back and clap and put on their Miss America losing faces. 

She feels her hand slide down Logan’s arm, finding his fingers at the end of his suit jacket and linking them with hers, giving a reassuring squeeze. Her mouth opens again, and again she’s cut off, this time by Lilly, “you haven’t won your bet yet Veronica Mars,” she’s wearing that cruel smile that Veronica has seen before, usually directed at someone she deems unworthy of her presence, usually directed at an outcast, “though the transformation from ugly duckling to prince charming is impressive, he’s not king yet.”

Veronica’s mouth glues itself shut, knowing Logan heard that. Knowing by the hand that’s sliding out of hers now, knowing by the feel of him walking away from her, the body that was so warm and open to her only moments ago, now pulling away without a word. 

She wants to tear Lilly down, tell her she’s a traitorous bitch, but that glue hasn’t left her mouth yet and she has to chase after him. She doesn’t get far before her name is being called to get up on stage. A few of her classmates smiling at her, telling her to get up there, how she’s bound to win. And she’ll be the best prom queen ever.

Her stomach sinks as she watches Logan’s broad shoulders disappear out the main doors and into the hallway. She’s not going to make it through the crowd quickly enough, and she’s not going to be able to fight her way through the sea of bodies between here and there. 

Reluctantly she turns, puts on a beauty queen smile and makes her way to the stage.


	6. We're All That

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think the fusion might have been tossed out the window...

We’re All That

Logan doesn’t bother turning around when he hears his name called. He doesn’t bother turning around to see who is being announced as queen. As king. It doesn’t matter. It never did, he was just stupid enough to convince himself it was real, that popularity meant true friends and being accepted in a high school that had never accepted him before. Had never accepted any of the types like him. And sure, he’s spent most of his school years not wanting to fit the mold, not wanting to be on the radar of jocks and cheerleaders, having convinced himself they were nothing more than vapid, looks-obsessed robots feeding off popularity. It’s still mostly true. Except Veronica. She was different. Or at least he thought so.

———————

It isn’t hard to avoid her or her cronies in school, it’s not like they ever had anything in common anyway, no classes together or any reason to eat at the same lunch table. It isn’t hard to tell everyone at home to just ignore her phone calls. And her phone calls are incessant. He catches Trina talking to her one day, and promptly slams the phone back down on the hook.

She won’t stop leaving notes in his locker either. And little things in his car. One day it’s a new set of paintbrushes. The next it’s a sketchbook. Every single day for the last two weeks of school, there’s something new. 

But she’s too chicken shit to say it to his face. To apologize for real. God forbid she been seen with him now, in school, in front of people. Knowing that he was just a bet, just some stupid fucking bet. 

———————

Mac tries to tell him it’s time to grow up and face his problems instead of hiding from them, but he doesn’t really care what she has to say. He’d rather just ignore it until high school is over. Refocus his energy into art over the course of the summer and prepare for college in the Fall.

He mostly tries to zone out during Veronica’s valedictorian speech during graduation. But it’s like her tiny annoying voice just worms its way into his head and he can’t stop hearing it once he starts, so it’s snaking around in his ears even as he tries to hum silently to cover it. 

She talks about friendship for a long time, about how high school is not the most important part of anyone’s life and maybe if they are the glory days then it’s only because we’ve grown up to make huge mistakes that even teen angst and drama couldn’t overpower. She laughs when she talks about the future, about what’s next, about how so many of us are searching for meaning in college when it’ll most likely just be more of the same old shit just on a platter we have to pay for. Or our parents have to pay for, depending on how much silver is in it.

When she wraps up her speech, she’s looking directly at Logan and he can’t tear his eyes off her, “I guess no matter what we do in the future, we all have the potential to be epic. The kind of epic that spans decades and continents. Lives ruined, blood shed,” she smiles, “epic.”

His stomach falls, while his heart simultaneously leaps into his throat. Of all the things, he never would have thought for a million years she actually read the plaque under his painting that’s on display in the art center. Or when she even would have saw it, or known it was there.

“That’s some super stalker powers there,” Mac leans forward from the row behind him to whisper in his ear.

———————

There’s a new easel in the back of his car when he walks out to the parking lot after the ceremony is finally over. And Veronica Mars is leaning against the back bumper.

“Was Mac in on all this?” Logan wonders, since he can’t come up with any other way she would have known. It’s not like she frequents art galleries and just stumbled across his piece.

“Nope,” she quirks a smile at him, “I have my ways Logan Echolls.”

“Do those ways involve…”

“Shh,” her finger is against his lips to shush him immediately, “just tell me one thing,” with her body so close to his, he’s nearly certain he’d tell her anything, “do you think,” she steps closer, the heat of her against his stomach making butterflies rise and flap uncontrollably, “people can be epic? People like us?”

“You and me? Or you separately from me?”

“You and me. Us.”

“Well,” he takes the chance to press his hand against her hip. Her face tilts up to watch him, hopeful expression edging into her lips, into her eyes, and she looks like she belongs there in his grip, “I think you can bet on it. You know, if you’re the betting type.”

Her mouth opens to protest, but he he cuts her off by pressing his lips into hers. Lodging his heart directly in his throat, feeling it beating wildly in his ears as she melts into the contact. Her hand sliding up his arm, resting on the back of his neck to draw him deeper with the tips of her fingers. 

“But if you think you can buy my affection,” he shrugs when he pulls out of the kiss, only far enough to leave space for words, not far enough to break the embrace, “then you’re mostly right. But you could at least splurge, go big or go home.”

“Go epic,” she corrects him with a sly grin, “go epic or go home.”

“Epic it is,” he smiles as he leans down to slide back into another kiss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Snip, snap, snout this tale is told out! Thanks friends, I love kudos!


End file.
